Review: Fountain of Youth Falls Flat Trying to Recapture Adventure

Fountain of Youth wants so badly to be the next National Treasure or even Indiana Jones lite, but ends up drowning in its own self importance.

What starts as a fun, inventive opening… setting up an intriguing sibling dynamic between John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, quickly devolves into a slow, meandering slog of a movie that thinks it's upping the stakes when it’s really just spinning its wheels.

Krasinski does his best to inject some much needed charm. He’s genuinely engaging here, the kind of actor who can hold your attention even when the plot around him is slipping through the cracks.

Portman, unfortunately, brings little to the table. Whether it's the writing, direction, or something else entirely, she seems emotionally distant, never quite connecting with the role or the audience. It's a noticeable gap… especially when she’s supposed to be half of the film's emotional anchor.

The pacing is all over the place. Moments of action are scattered throughout, but they’re never quite enough to jolt the film out of its lethargy.

For a movie centered around the literal Fountain of Youth, this thing feels ancient… and not in a good way.

By the time the third act rolls around, it’s hard to care about the characters, their quest, or the stakes (whatever they were).

What should’ve been a fun, globe trotting sibling adventure ends up feeling like a missed opportunity with flashes of potential buried in a sea of bland storytelling.

Krasinski deserves better…. and so do we.